West Virginia · 2026-27 waterfowl

West Virginia Duck & Goose Season 2026-27

Q: When is duck season in West Virginia for 2026-27?

October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027, with split season segments inside the window. The full table on this page was read from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)'s own published page, linked beside it; confirm there before you hunt.

Q: What about goose season in West Virginia?

The goose table on this page lists the seasons as West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) publishes them, by species group and zone. Tundra and trumpeter swan seasons are closed.

Q: Where are the bag limits, shooting hours and stamp requirements?

At West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), linked on this page, along with the federal duck stamp and HIP registration rules from USFWS. Those change annually and are legally binding. This page carries the season window, sourced and dated.

Q: Can these dates change?

Yes. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact agency page it read. Agencies amend and correct their own tables; treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

Ducks: October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Every date below was read from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)’s own published page, linked beside it, inside the Atlantic Flyway framework.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.

October 3, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Duck season

published

Statewide

Zones

with split segments

Atlantic

Flyway

federal framework

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)

Source

read 2026-09-01

The main event

Duck season in West Virginia, zone by zone

Ducks, 2026-27

publishedAtlantic Flyway

Duck season opens in 23 days, on November 7, 2026.

West Virginia duck seasons 2026-27, as published by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)
Zone	Season segments
Statewide	October 3, 2026 to October 11, 2026November 7, 2026 to November 15, 2026December 21, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from West Virginia Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations Summary, September 2026 - January 2027, accessed 2026-09-01.

Three-way split season statewide; coots and mergansers run with ducks. Two single youth waterfowl days also exist.

Waterfowl hunter setting goose decoys on a tidal flat with a retriever watching — Setting decoys with help. Photo: Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS. “Waterfowl hunter and dog” — Rebecca Fabbri / USFWS Alaska Region — Public domain

Geese

Goose seasons in West Virginia

Geese, 2026-27

published

Goose season	Dates
Early Canada geese	September 1, 2026 to September 13, 2026
Canada geese and white-fronted geese	October 3, 2026 to October 18, 2026November 7, 2026 to November 15, 2026December 8, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Snow and blue geese	October 3, 2026 to October 18, 2026November 7, 2026 to November 15, 2026December 8, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Brant	January 2, 2027 to January 31, 2027

Dates read from West Virginia Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations Summary, September 2026 - January 2027, accessed 2026-09-01.

Tundra and trumpeter swan seasons are closed.

Canada geese dropping into a refuge wetland with wings set — Canada geese dropping into a refuge marsh. Photo: Jennifer Jewett/USFWS. “Canada Geese” by Jennifer Jewett / USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0

The structure over the state

How West Virginia’s dates get set: the Atlantic Flyway

Waterfowl seasons are the most federal of all hunting seasons. Migratory birds cross every border, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes annual frameworks for each of the four administrative flyways, setting the earliest openers, latest closers and maximum season lengths, and each state then selects its own dates and zones inside its framework.

West Virginia selects its dates inside the Atlantic Flyway framework. The eastern seaboard corridor, Maine to Florida, inland to West Virginia.

Large mixed flock of ducks and geese over water at sunset — A mixed flock of ducks and geese at sunset. Photo: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS. “A mixed flock of ducks and geese fly from a wetland area” — Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domain

Rules

West Virginia waterfowl hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by, including the federal duck stamp and HIP registration every waterfowl hunter needs, is set by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR)and USFWS, and the regulations page is linked below.

Current West Virginia regulations

Bag limits and species restrictions, shooting hours, duck stamp and HIP requirements, license rules, and youth or veteran season details for West Virginia are set by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR): current regulations

Father and daughter in waders with a retriever in a duckweed marsh — Father and daughter on Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Photo: Tim Miller/USFWS. “Waterfowl Hunting (Upper Mississippi River NWFR)” — Tim Miller / USFWS Midwest Region — Public domain

West Virginia waterfowl season questions

When is duck season in West Virginia for 2026-27?

What about goose season in West Virginia?

What is a flyway, and which one is West Virginia in?

Waterfowl seasons are set in two steps: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes annual federal frameworks for each of the four administrative flyways (Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, Pacific), setting the outside limits, and each state selects its season dates and zones inside its flyway's framework. West Virginia selects its dates inside the Atlantic Flyway framework. The eastern seaboard corridor, Maine to Florida, inland to West Virginia.

Where are the bag limits, shooting hours and stamp requirements?

Can these dates change?

Wetland at sunset with a fallen snag and mountains on the horizon — Wood River Wetland, Oregon. The habitat the flyways run on. Photo: Greg Shine/BLM. “Wood River Wetland” — Greg Shine / Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) page linked beside it, read on the date shown; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag limits, legal methods, shooting hours, stamp and license rules are set by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose pages are the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national waterfowl season guide.